Day 17 of the 40 Days of Purpose

“A Place to Belong”

Being involved in sports in my younger years taught me teamwork. It is great to be on a team, especially a winning team. It is great to know that you had a part in helping that team win. At the same time, there is something very special about knowing that you could not have done it by yourself. To know that whatever you contributed you needed your teammates to get it done. My junior high football coach was excellent at teaching this principle. He had a way of humbling anyone who even thought about acting like they were such hotshots that they were better than the team. He made us identify with the team even before we thought about ourselves individually as players. When some didn’t play well, we all ran line drills. When someone fumbled, we all ran ball handling drills. When someone missed assignments, we all took tests on the playbook. It was a team sport and the coach wanted us to remember it. And when the team won – we all won!

It is true that being a Christian is based on individual faith commitment, but it is also a group situation, as well. We are called to a commitment to the church at the same time we are called to a commitment to Christ. You can’t leave your brothers and sisters behind. It is not just about you. In this age of consumer satisfaction evaluation, we often approach our involvement in church through shopping. We want a good deal that will give us what we want, what we think we need, at a price that we can handle. If we don’t like it, we take it back and keep shopping for another we like. This approach to church involvement lacks commitment to the church family and to the Lord. We are often unconcerned about what we can do for the church where we attend, for we are more concerned about what the church can do for us. Does it have the programs I am looking for? Will it keep my interest, or will I be bored? Will they expect too much of me – my time, my talent, my money? When we decide it is not going to make us happy, we move on, not thinking about what impact our departure will have on our brothers and sisters.

Being a member of a church family means being connected and dependent on family members. There are some brothers and sisters depending on you. You are dependent on the family, too. Unfortunately, many brothers and sisters don’t realize this until they face some crisis in their life and they find themselves alone without help for they have not invested in helping others in the church during their time of need. We all need a place to belong! We need a team and we need to learn teamwork! We can all win together!

…. to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up {13} until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. {14} Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. {15} Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. {16} From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Eph 4:12-16 NIV)